Food & Hotel India (FHIn) 2019 concludes its 2nd edition on a high note in Mumbai

Mumbai, 11th October, 2019: The three day Food and Hotel India Expo’s (FHIn) 2nd Edition 2019, organised by the Informa Markets in India - a leading B2B Events organiser, concluded successfully in Mumbai on 20th September 2019 with a 64% growth in visitor footfalls.

Attendees were introduced to top of the line products & solution providers and project holders within the HORECA industry (Hotel/Restaurant/Catering), who shed light on India’s business and market share in Food & Beverages, Tea & Coffee, Beer, Wine & Spirit, Sea Food, Meat, Bakery, Commercial Kitchen and Refrigeration Equipments; Hotel Housekeeping, Hospitality Technology and Interior Designs, Retail & Hospitality Food Services and more.

The expo was inaugurated by Guest of Honour - Mr Anurag Katriar, President, NRAI. Other Guest of Honour included - Mr. Param Kannampilli, Chairman and Managing Director Concept Hospitality; Special Guest - Chef Manjit Singh Gill - Corporate Chef ITC & President IFCA; Mr. Thomas Schlitt, MD, Messe Dusseldorf India; Mr. Pankaj Shende, Senior Portfolio Director, Informa Markets in India and Mr. Abhijit Mukherji, Group Director, Informa Markets in India amongst an august gathering.

FHIn was marked by the presence of buyers that comprised major hotels , restaurants, catering, food retailers chains, companies. The expo attracted a lot of interest from the Hotel Owners, Consultants, Department heads, food retail sector that included food importers, distributors, modern traders, food ecommerce companies to source the right products. It helped International and Domestic brands to target the right audience and the rapid growing HORECA market.

Mr. Yogesh Mudras apprised participants on how the demand for food and beverages has increased corresponding to the growth of the Indian population and the economy. He explained the potential that platforms such as FHIn19 provides for India’s Food, Hospitality and Tourism Industry to establish business opportunities in Asia, as it connects International Brands with the largest gathering of decision makers, specifiers and end users in India.

Thanking the Entrepreneurs and F&B and Hospitality Industry’ professionals for taking part in the three-day trade show, Mr. Mudras said “I would like to express gratitude to the participants of HORECA, F&B Industry for their exceptional enthusiasm, work and knowledge. Drawing more investment to India and acquainting the world with India's F&B market potential and its growth trajectory has been our primary focus. Besides the domestic market, India also offers tremendous business opportunities for international brands to flourish in its fertile markets. Through FHIn19, we fostered not only trade alliances and businesses, but also enabled a futuristic research and innovation in the global, regional and local arena’.

FHIn 2019 witnessed interactive sessions such as the following: -

Hospitality Strategy Summit (HSS2019) (for industry knowledge exchange): that included sessions such as – ‘Leading through Disruption: Staying Ahead of New Consumer Trends’, ‘New age trends in coffee technology’, ‘Time To Whet Your Appetite’, ‘Extending hospitality to the Environment - Is it easy being Sustainable?’ and ‘Recruiting, Staffing & Training For Profitability’.

- HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE: that included a session on ‘Embracing Smart Technology in Hospitality - Tech Gurus Bring in Reality Check’. It spoke about how in an increasingly crowded and competitive industry, hotels groups across the world are embracing and experimenting with smart technology in hotels to deliver innovative and ground-breaking experiences.

- A MASTER CLASS-KITCHEN PLANNING AND DESIGNING session on ‘Sustainable Kitchens – Designing for Energy Efficiency & Reduced Foot Print’. The session talked about how the hotels, restaurants, food delivery kitchens, hospitals and cafeterias catering are high growth businesses today and will remain so for years to come. In view of spiralling initial as well as running costs, kitchens need to be more efficient in terms of space utilization, labour needs and energy costs. In view of FSSAI and constant scrutiny by social media, kitchen design should also ensure maximum food safety. The session also spoke about the serious need for standardization to reduce project timelines so as not to cross the free fit out periods. It also included a Master Class session on Sustainable BOH MEP Design & Construction.

- INFOCUS – NORTH EAST: This session focused on The North East of India – as a potential Hospitality Hub.

- THE PURCHASE PUNCH: that focused on ‘Where The procurement function is headed in the lead up to 2020’.

- HOUSEKEEPING SEMINAR: that talked about Laundry Lessons – by Leading Housekeepers telling us what’s hot and what’s Not and What’s trending in Food Space with The Godrej Food Trend Report.

- JOURNEY TO ENTREPRENUER – Chef Rahul Akrekar’s shared his “Journey to Entrepreneurship” where he highlighted his career transition to becoming a Chef after spending Ten years in Engineering.

- RAW TO REFRESH: Wherein, Top Chefs from the industry went head to head in one of the most innovative Cook-offs in the Industry.

- INDIA INTERNATIONAL CULINARY CLASSIC 2019 (IICC): A prestigious zone for International culinary competitions that not only highlighted the excellence of the food industry, but also brought forth the desired culinary skills to claim fame. Culinary talents across India displayed their food mastery, seeking accreditation and feedback to escalate their level to excellence. Participants were judged by a panel of internationally acclaimed chefs. The winners for the top five categories of IICC included Chef Ruchika Khedkar from the Oberoi, Chef Deepak Bhatt from The Sofitel & Ashish Rajbhar from Sahara Star, Chef Samruddhi Salunke from The Oberoi and Chef Ram Singh from Taj Sats and Chef Rajesh Sajvan, from The Grand Hyatt.

- THE BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIP: was an exclusive affair at the FHIn which was a professional competition authorized and judged by industry stalwarts. It aimed at providing a platform for coffee professionals and enthusiasts to share their knowledge, and to compete and celebrate this beverage segment.

- Prowein Education Campaign India in association with Messe Dusseldorf India, drew special attention to the Indian liquor business game plan for the future.

The FHIn19 concluded with the felicitation of Food, Beverage & Hospitality professionals and enthusiasts.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world’s leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year.

About Informa Markets and our business in India

Informa Markets is owned by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Informa Markets in India (formerly UBM India) is India's leading exhibition organizer, dedicated to help specialist markets and customer communities, domestically and around the world to trade, innovate and grow through exhibitions, digital content & services, and conferences & seminars. Every year, we hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions, 40 conferences, along with industry awards and trainings across the country; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. In India, Informa Markets has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.